Survey Reward Scam

Complete a short survey about your experience at Lowes, Microsoft, Target, Walmart, etc. and select one several rewards. Its a scam that has been circulating via email for the last several years. Here is what SNOPES reports

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lowes-survey-exclusive-reward/ 

Nikki Haley Scam

Have you ever received a text message claiming to be from Nikki Haley, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, asking for your personal information or money?

This is what is known as the Nikki Haley Text Scam, a deceptive scheme that preys on unsuspecting individuals.

In this introduction, we will delve into the details of this scam, how it operates, and the red flags to watch out for.

By understanding the tactics used by scammers and taking necessary precautions, you can protect yourself from falling victim to this scam.

Remember, it’s crucial to report any suspicious activity to the authorities to help prevent others from becoming targets.

https://legitvsscam.com/nikki-haley-text-scam/

World's Most Famous Liar

His scam on America continues as he sells a $5 t-shirt for $34. Yes, like his candidacy for President, many will buy his snake-oil and swallow his cool-aid.

Trump’s drumbeat of lies about the 2020 election keeps getting louder. 

Here are the facts

https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-lies-debunked-4fc26546b07962fdbf9d66e739fbb50d

ChatGPT: List 5 strategies for combating disinformation on Facebook

- Strengthen fact-checking and content moderation: Facebook should invest in robust fact-checking mechanisms and strengthen its content moderation policies.
https://mtskeptics.blogspot.com/p/fake-news.html

- Promote transparency in advertising: Facebook should require advertisers to disclose their identities and funding sources for political or controversial ads. 

- Enhance user education and critical thinking: Facebook can invest in educational initiatives to promote media literacy and critical thinking skills among its users. 
https://mtskeptics.blogspot.com/p/critical-thought.html 

- Algorithmic adjustments: Facebook can explore ways to diversify users' information sources to reduce the likelihood of echo chambers and filter bubbles.

- Collaborate with external experts and researchers: Facebook should actively collaborate with external experts, researchers, and organizations that specialize in disinformation, cybersecurity, and media ethics. 
https://mtskeptics.blogspot.com/

Brain Supplements are Dangerous and Don't Work

There are dietary supplements targeting brain health being marketed to consumers that should be considered adulterated and misbranded. Advertisements and product labels may be deceiving and could put the public at risk. Education is required so that the public can recognize red flags while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration works to “modernize” the current regulations for dietary supplements.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7153641/ 

Customer Experience Survey SCAMS

WARNING: "Customer Experience Survey" scams promise fake rewards for a survey completion. They aim to trick users into revealing their personal information and/or paying bogus fees.

https://www.pcrisk.com/removal-guides/21798-customer-experience-survey-pop-up-scam 

These scams are disguised as giveaways from various legitimate organizations (e.g. United States Postal Service, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Walmart, etc.). They promise a reward to users who complete a short questionnaire. The surveys and fake prizes can vary.

They target personally identifiable data, such as name, geolocation, address, telephone number, email, etc.. They generate revenue by selling the stolen information to third-parties and/or using it to create personalized schemes.

Some giveaway-type scams request users to pay fake shipping, registration, or other fees. The scammers can ask the payments to be made via dubious payment gateways that record banking account details and credit card numbers. This data can then be used to make fraudulent transactions and/or online purchases.

We knowing nothing about PCRisk, but its WARNING is legit.

SCAM GODDESS

Each week host Laci Mosley (aka Scam Goddess) keeps listeners up to date on current rackets, digs deep into the latest scams, and breaks down historic hoodwinks alongside some of your favorite comedians! It’s like true crime only without all the death! True fun crime!

Scam Goddess is a podcast dedicated to fraud and all those who practice it! 

Delving into historical scandals and current events alike, Mosley and her guests — including comedians such as J.B. Smoove and Nicole Byer — might even teach you how to spot a con artist before it’s too late. The podcast appears weekly on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and other major platforms.

https://www.earwolf.com/show/scam-goddess

US citizens lost over $10 billion

US citizens lost over $10 billion due to phishing calls by illegal Indian call centres in 2022, as per the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data. From a report: 

Most of the victims of these fraud calls from Indian phishing gangs were elderly US citizens above the age of 60 years who lost over $3 billion, Times Of India reported citing FBI data. After several incidents were reported in 2022, the FBI has now deputed a permanent representative at the US embassy in New Delhi. The representative will work closely with the CBI, Interpol and the Delhi Police to bust these gangs that have put India under the threat to be termed as the hub of such illegal call centres. Several Americans lost a total of $10.2 billion in 2022 so far, which is a 47 per cent increase from 2021's $6.9 billion, to such fraud calls.

Geek Squad SCAM (2022)

Geek Squad Targets Seniors

https://www.rd.com/article/geek-squad-scams/

The Geek squad scam is so popular because it’s one of the simplest scams to perpetrate, costs nearly nothing to run, has endless variations and has a very low chance of the criminal getting caught, explains Matt Hathaway, a cybersecurity expert and the chief marketing and strategy officer at TrueFort, a cybersecurity company. “It’s low risk, high reward,” he says. “It’s cheap and easy to send the slightly customized email to hundreds or thousands of people and wait until someone responds.”

John Oliver Takes on PSYCHICS

While on the subject of psychics here is another video.  https://youtu.be/faBIIFA5wng 
It wouldn't be such a big deal except - 40% of Americans believe in them - and THEY VOTE.

CONSUMER and CYBERCRIME NEWS

Technology has hidden side effects -- BobSullivan.net reveals them and provides interesting commentary about:

• Cybersecurity, computer hacking, corporate espionage, viruses, etc. He co-hosts the podcast Breach, about history’s biggest hacks. It has spent time in the top 100 podcasts.
• Behavioral economics, particularly how cognitive biases “trick” consumers into making bad choices. He writes “nuggets” for PeopleScience.com; this is also the subject of his book The Plateau Effect .
• Identity theft and fraud (He wrote one of the first books on ID theft, Your Evil Twin)
• Consumer protection and ‘gotchas’ (Gotcha Capitalism and Stop Getting Ripped off were both NYTimes best-sellers
• America’s ‘Restless’ problem, including Overwork and other unintended consequences of technology
• Voting integrity
• Elder fraud
• Ageism
• Child online safety

FACEBOOK and Fake News

      I am a senior and I live in Tennessee.  An overwhelming number of my family, friends, and me are Republicans.  I am not surprised that the fake news that I receive ispredominantly Republican leaning.  In fact, I almost never receive fake news reports those who are Democrat leaning.  Most of it comes via email with some heavily biased set of statistics or story. 

     Few of my group use FACEBOOK, including me.  So, I never experienced issues in the press which FACEBOOK is receiving about it being a cesspool of fake news.  However, with virtually everyone having a FACEBOOK account, these reports are probably an accurate reflection of the population in general and can answer the question “Do Republicans tend to circulate more fake and misleading stories than Democrats?” 

IRS Warns of Fake Tax Notice Scam

The IRS said it has received numerous reports of scammers sending fraudulent CP2000 notices for tax year 2015. It typically is an email with a fake CP2000 attachment.

The CP2000 can be a legitimate notice that the IRS mails to taxpayers through the U.S. Postal Service, but the IRS noted the notice is never sent as part of an email to taxpayers. Taxpayers and tax professionals should be suspicious of any notices that are sent electronically. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email or through social media such as Twitter or Facebook.

Read more at: http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/tax-practice/irs-warns-about-fake-tax-notice-scam-79334-1.html?utm_medium=email&ET=webcpa:e7695169:47868a:&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily-sep%2023%202016&st=email&eid=e496b58449f229ec52d005c10e6b4bfd 

Lecture Series in Science-based Medicine

      Hardly a person alive has not relied on some cure or 'medical' treatment not yet or never-to-be approved by established medicine.  Be it vitamin supplements, chiropractic, fad diets, bio-magnets, or the like, it is all what used to be called "snake oil."  Most people consider such uses as harmless.  In many cases that is true, but in all cases the use of "snake oil" delays the use of real medical treatment - sometimes until it is too late.
      Since most people are likely to succumb to the promises of non-proven medical treatments in the hopes of that 'miracle', especially in non-curable and life-threatening diseases, identifying what is "real" versus what is "sham" is vital.
      The James Randi Educational Foundation has produced a superb 10-part video lecture series in which Harriet Hall, M.D., contrasts science-based medicine with so-called “complementary and alternative” methods. The topics include: What is CAM?; acupuncture; chiropractic; energy medicine; homeopathy; miscellaneous “alternatives”; naturopathy and herbal medicines; pitfalls in research; science based medicine vs. evidence-based medicine; science-based medicine in the media and politics. The lectures range from 32 to 45 minutes.She has also prepared the following course-guide:
http://web.randi.org/uploads/3/7/3/7/37377621/course_guide.pdf  

Here is the link to the videos on the various topics:

FAKE REVIEWS

      Many of us rely on Internet product reviews for making purchase decisions.  However, some of the reviews just don't sound right.  They are either unrealistically negative or positive.  Do you ignore that input?  The website FAKESPOT.COM provides a second look at some of these product comments and provide some perspective on its potential legitimacy.  Here is what they claim.

Fakespot, launched in 2015, analyzes reviews intelligently and calculates a grade based on the authenticity of reviews involving the selected product. Fakespot identifies fake reviews, currently supporting Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com.au.

Efficacy of Vitamin Supplements

     With billions of dollars spent annually, vitamin supplements are probably the con-game of the century, as scientific evidence continues to prove.  In most cases such indiscriminate use is probably useless and potentially harmful.  
     Not all vitamin and mineral supplements are useless. When used appropriately, based on scientific evidence, and a specific medical issue some help. Few debate that we need dietary vitamins to live. But the most common reason for taking vitamins -- our desire to “improve overall health” -- is generally a waste of money.  Quality testing doesn’t validate health claims.

For more information check out
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/more-evidence-that-routine-multivitamin-use-should-be-avoided/ 

Charitable Giving SCAMS

     Between September 29 and October 14, 2015, AARP engaged Alan Newman Research to conduct a research study among the general population in seven select states: Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington. It explored holiday fraud and scams in the upcoming holiday season.  One of the topics included charitable solicitations and donations.

REF:  AARP Study Results
     Data from this survey showed:

• 70% of those who donated to a charity or fundraiser in the past 12 months did so without asking what percentage of their donation went to the fundraiser versus to the charity itself.
• 52% said they didn't know that professional fundraisers are allowed to keep most of the money they raise for charity as long as they don’t lie about how much they keep.

      Before making a charitable donation make sure the group you choose will put your money to good use and not spend it on big salaries for its executives or huge payments to professional fundraisers.
      The easiest way to research national charities is with the three major charity watchdogs: Charity Navigator, CharityWatch, and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. They rate charities based on how they spend their money, protect donor privacy, govern themselves, and more. They use somewhat different criteria and don't always agree, so check out a charity with all three groups. (Only CharityWatch requires a donation for full access, although it provides useful information without one.) 
     The watchdogs don't always rate the same charities, so look for a charity that has high ratings by at least two of them. Sometimes the BBB Wise Alliance says it didn't rate a charity because the group did not provide the information necessary for an evaluation. Take that as bad sign. 

IRS TAX SCAM

     We just received a call from (425) 287-6073 informing us that the IRS was filing a lawsuit against us and that we need to respond.  It's the infamous tax SCAM.  The IRS never makes such calls.  For more information about this scam and others like it follow this link

https://www.irs.gov/uac/Tax-Scams-Consumer-Alerts

Fake Charities

The Federal Trade Commission recently by accused Cancer Fund of America, Cancer Support Services, Children’s Cancer Fund of America, and the Breast Cancer Society of defrauding donors for more than $187 million. The FTC alleges that these four "sham charities" solicited millions in donations by promising to help pay for hospice care, chemotherapy, and other services for cancer patients, but only a fraction of that money actually went to patients. Most of it went to company cars, high salaries, and a Caribbean cruise.

Before donating check the charity’s score on Charity Navigator, a website that tracks the performance of thousands of non-profit organizations. Find out what percentage of donations go to actual programs versus administrative and fundraising costs.  Don’t be fooled by a name that sounds like a well-known charity. Search for that organization name — especially with the word “complaint” or “scam.”

Food Babe - Dangerous or Just Incompetent?

     Vari Hari is known as the Food Babe and run the blog - http://foodbabe.com/ .  Since its debut in  2011, since she has been offering advice of what foods her reader's should or should not eat.  The problem is -- she is neither a scientists nor a nutritionist.  What she appears to be is horribly incompetent or a scammer.
      According to a recent article by Mark Aaron Alsip in the May/June article in Skeptical Inquirer (The 'Food Babe' a Tasrte of Her Own Medicine), he shows in example after example how Hari recommends against certain food ingredients turns around and promotes (more personal gain) products with that same ingredient.  The problem is even worse that it sounds.  These ingredients can readily be found by a google search on the Internet for any reputable researcher.  For more about Ms Hari check out Alsip's blog https://badscidebunked.wordpress.com/
     Likewise, FOXNEWS  offers similar concerns about Ms Hari's competence in their article, "5-Food Babe Myths You Shouldn't Believe."
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/04/14/5-food-babe-myths-shouldnt-believe/?intcmp=ob_homepage_health&intcmp=obnetwork

There’s no denying that Vani Hari, aka the Food Babe, has ignited a clean-eating revolution—along with a lot of controversy. Hari is known for lobbying companies to remove ingredients she believes are toxic, including the “yoga mat chemical” in Subway’s bread, class IV caramel color in Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and “antifreeze” in beer.
And while getting people thinking about what’s in their food is good thing, many experts point out that her science is, well, off, which can cause an unnecessary fear of food and other everyday products. (Look no further than this recent New York Times profile or this Gawker takedown written by a scientist who dubs herself the Science Babe).